Love Live! Momentary Tales & Other Literatures Edition
by jaredjiro
Summary: A collection of Love Live short tales and random stories! So buckle up because this gonna be a bumpy ride! Keep in mind that I tend to put in some stories here that may have some connection to my other stories!
1. Late Night Calls

**Late Night Calls**

 **with Chika Takami and Sarah Kazuno**

No one really knew when it started. Heck, not even these two girls knew when they did start doing these. They guessed it just occurred randomly after some discussion the other wanted to make regarding Love Live. So maybe from there it just went on and on until it became a regular thing.

It was weird, to say the least. Every night, every passing second or minute or hour under the light of the moon, one of them just could not wait to talk to the other once more.

What was this weird...thing they were feeling? A loud and hard throbbing in their chests as they waited for the next call. And once they do receive a call, that burning sensation whenever they reach for the "Accept" button was inevitable. But, for some reason, they felt empty and blue. It was as if they were anticipating the call...?

But why?

They never really talked about anything interesting, they thought. It certainly was not something worth mentioning. However, was it really not worthy of any mention? Did not any other infatuation start with just a talk?

They only really talked about random, boring things. Most of the time it was about Love Live and its various subjects. Other times they talked about what they did all day long. Like what they ate, or what they did in school, or how they did during the exams, or how You went to the restaurant with the others while wearing a maid outfit, or what Mito did to Chika after making a huge mess in the inn, or how Leah was apparently deathly afraid of spiders, or where Chika and the rest of Aqours went during the weekends, or where Sarah and Leah hung out every Sunday.

Okay, maybe calling their topics boring was a bit of a lie. But still, how would an infatuation with the other form from just that? Maybe it was the way the other seems so interested in whatever story the other was going to tell? Or maybe it was the way the other smiles and laughs towards the other's jokes and funny stories?

Maybe it was the way they had fun talking to each other...?

Whatever the reason was, they certainly cannot deny these feelings...

* * *

A certain orange-haired girl went over her contacts in her laptop's online messenger. She was sure this was the thirtieth time she did these during the night, every night. She just had to check if the other girl was online.

It was already half past ten and was way beyond her planned bedtime. Surely, she will get an earful if Mito caught her still wide awake.

However, she did not worry about that possiblity right now! She just had to talk to her! She just had to talk to Sarah!

She had to ask her a very important question. Something that she was figuring out how to say to her from that morning till this very moment. That did not change the fact that she was determined to tell her though! She was never someone that would just give up because of emotional barriers anyway. Or so she likes to think so.

"Uwa..." She silently muttered in frustration. Where was she? Why of all times was she offline now?

Oh no! What was this feeling? What was this thought? The orange-haired girl suddenly had a nervous feeling. It went from her spine to her very skin hairs, chilling at that wetched thought.

Maybe she did not want to talk to her now? What if she was actually getting bored of her? Could it not be that Sarah was just tolerating her? No no no no no...

Chika shook her head and slapped both of her cheeks lightly. This was not the time to think negatively! There was no way Sarah was just forcing herself to talk to Chika.

...Right?

Oh no, there it was again... That accursed feeling. A certain thought that, Chika thought, should have never been discovered...

Doubt.

She was full of doubt right now! What was she going to do?! If she does not see a green circle and the words "ONLINE" beside Sarah's name in that screen for the next five minutes, she was going to burst into tears.

* * *

Five minutes have already passed... And yet, there was still nothing. Still offline.

The orange-haired girl hung her head in utter sadness. She let the tears that was welling up inside her finally fall down. She bit her lip to stop herself from bawling. The pain from doing so only made things worse though, so she closed her eyes and only hoped that she would stop from crying.

But then a certain tune played. It did not came from the laptop as she hoped; it instead came from her phone.

Her phone! Oh, how did she not think of this before! She could have just called her!

"Baka! Baka! Baka Chika!" She scolded herself as she lightly hit her temples with her fists, incredibly frustrated at her own stupidity. "Ah! Wait! Someone's calling!"

Hastily, she reached for her phone from the bedside table and gasped to see who the caller was.

"S-Sarah-san!" Immediately, she tapped the "Accept" button and put the phone near her ears. "H-Hello?"

Her voice was hoarse and broken... She did not notice that she cried that hard. Did she really cry so much that her own voice broke?

"Hello, Chika-san? Are you okay? Your voice is a bit raspy..." The girl in the other line asked with concern.

Chika did not realize she was holding her breath. She sighed deeply and let herself calm down. The voice of Sarah alone made her feel comfortable...like she was being lulled to sleep in a warm, cozy night.

"Don't worry about me..." She said in her calmest tone. Everything was fine now. They were talking to each other. They may not be seeing each others faces right now, but maybe that was for the better.

"B-but—"

"I have an important question to ask you." She interrupted almost immediately.

"If it's about not going online tonight, it was because of our internet connection. It became really slow for some reason."

Chika shook her head even though she knew she wouldn't see it. "No, don't worry about that either."

"Um... Okay then... What's troubling you?"

Her past nervousness and embarrassment all came back to hunt her. She felt her cheeks warm up from being reminded of what she was about to ask to Sarah. Maybe she went silent a bit too long...

Nervousness can surely do many things to you, huh?

"Chika-san...?"

"S-Sarah-san..." She finally spoke, swallowing a lump. "H-have you ever felt...n-nervous...and e-excited...all at the same time whenever we wait for one of us to call every night...?"

It was now Sarah's turn to become hushed. This instantly signaled Chika to immediately change the subject.

"S-sorry! Th-that was a stupid question! Nevermind that!" She acted, letting out an awkward chuckle.

"Wh...What if I told you that I do feel those every night I wait for your call...?"

The orange-haired girl's cheeks immediately reddened at the older one's reply. Her eyes widened and she supressed a shriek from her very flabbergasted reaction.

"Y-you do?" The young girl asked for comfirmation, almost desparate for the older one's answer.

"I love you, Chika-san..."

"W-w-w-w-w-wait, WHAT?!" Chika accidentally screamed in full volume. She tensed up, covering her mouth and hoped that no one heard her. Thankfully, no one came to scold her...

But seriously, that caught her really off-guard! A sudden confession?!

How was she supposed to respond to that?

"I apologize. I should have said it in another way, shouldn't I?"

"Y-y-y-you love me...?" The young girl repeated for another confirmation.

"Yes... I-I really do. It was something that I have been keeping for a while now. I finally found the perfect moment to tell you, I suppose."

"I'm still not sure if what I'm feeling really is love though," Chika replied with a bit of guilt in her voice.

"Don't worry. I don't need an immediate response. At the very least, I was able to tell you what I truly feel. And that, I think, is enough for now."

"O-okay then..." She simply replied, not knowing what else to say.

"I will wait for your reply though. So take your time, no need to rush."

Was it just her or did Sarah sound sad to her? Oh gosh, this was making her feel guilty more! She NEEDS to figure what she's actually feeling towards Sarah immediately!

"I hate to end conversations in an awkward way, but I...think I'm gonna sleep now," Chika excused, feeling guiltier every passing second.

"I understand. I'm sorry for my sudden confession." Chuckle.

"N-no, don't be!" The young girl cried. "Rather, I'm sorry for my response... I know what I'm feeling, but I just want to make sure right now."

"I completely understand." Another chuckle. "It's not everyday that someone would just suddenly confess to you. I'll bid you a good night now! Sleep well!"

"Wait! Still, I don't want your effort to become wasted..." The orange-haired girl halted and then whispered shyly. She then breathed heavily to calm herself down.

"What do you mean...?"

"Let me just try this..." Inhale. "I-I love you too..." In almost an instant, her heart ran miles and her whole body heated up. This was too much for her poor heart.

Pause. "I love you more, Chika-san. Have a good night. And thank you...for everything."

With that, Sarah hung up. And as if Chika was not already slowly dying from embarrassment, that expression of gratitude from Sarah quite possibly killed her.

Looks like someone's in love~

* * *

 **EXTRAS**

"Shhh! Stop making noises, Shima-nee!"

"Uwa~! I'm way too sleepy for this! Why did you have to bring me along anyway?"

"I told you! If Chika finds us, you're gonna make up a reason because I'm really bad at those!"

"Why couldn't you have just planned of this in advance?"

"Oh geez! Stop being a baby! I told you I only just her scream a while ago. I never thought they're actually gonna talk tonight! Plus, I'm way to busy to plan for something like this."

"Let me just try this... I-I love you too..."

"Oh. My. Gosh! She said 'I love you too'!"

"Well now you're interested... I told you there's something going on between them!"

"Go Chika-chan!"

"Sh-Shima-nee! Don't be too loud!"

Meanwhile...

Chika: *way too embarrassed to function*


	2. Discovery

**Discovery**

 **with Kotori Minami, Honoka Kosaka, and Umi Sonoda**

Our young little bird has always been born an early blossom. Born to discover about her special water powers as early as when she was just a wee toddler. As she grew, she slowly got the hang of it. As a little one, of course, she is going to be messy with her powers. For example, she always found it fun to levitate an excessive amount of water and hurl it towards her mother whenever she was being bathed. She also found it fun to shoot out small squirts of water from her hands towards her friends whenever they were playing.

However, our little one is just about to discover another special attribute within her. Let's all find out what that is, shall we?

* * *

It was a nice and warm Saturday and Kotori is playing with her friends as usual. They were playing a simple game of tag. Nothing too special. However, it is about to be a special one.

"Tag! You're it!" A certain ginger-head cried happily as she tapped Kotori's shoulder. She then ran away from her as soon as she did so. "Try and catch me, Kotori-chan!"

"Uwa~! Honoka-chan, you cheater! I was distracted!" Kotori complained as she started running towards the other with both her arms extended up front.

The young ginger-head turned around and stuck her tongue out, not even slowing down as she continued to run. "That's not my fault, Kotori-chan!" She teased.

"Honoka-chan! Cheaters never win!" A young bluenette, who chose to hide behind a tree instead of running away from the current 'it', scolded the other. Kotori noticed her and decided to pursuit her. However, the bluenette immediately saw this and hastily climbed up the tree.

"Uwa~! Everyone's cheating!" Kotori complained as she stomped her little feet.

"Th-this is not cheating! This is called...um..." The bluenette struggled as she tried to come up with a reason. "An advanced technique!"

The ginger-head giggled as she watched her other friends down below. She apparently found a way to get at the top of the Minami residence's house somehow. She now perched herself up top as she yelled to her friends, "Hey, you two! I found a way to get here!"

With her confidence now at full force, the ginger-head stood up at her current position. Kotori and Umi (who got down her tree) were marveled at what Honoka did.

However, that was short-lived. It would seem that the young girl at the rooftop lost her balance and she was now falling several meters from above. The Minami family's house may not be that high, but it was definitely higher than the tree the bluenette climbed up on a while ago.

Her two friends' eyes widened as they both screamed their dear friend's name.

But their friend never hit the ground.

"H-Honoka-chan, you are flying!" Umi noticed first. "D-does this mean that you have magic too?"

Honoka, who had her eyes close the entire time, slowly opened her eyes. They then instantly widened as soon as she noticed her situation.

"I-I'm flying! I have Arcane!" She cheered with lots of joy. "But wait... I can't really feel it. Are we not supposed to feel that we're activating our powers?"

They soon noticed their other friend. She had one arm extended towards the ginger-head. It's as if she was the one actually doing this marvelous feat.

"I-I think Kotori's making Honoka-chan fly..." The gray-haired girl stuttered as she struggled to maintain control over her newfound powers. Eventually though, her arm gave up and Honoka was released from being suspended to the air. Fortunately, the ginger-head was only just a few centimeters above the ground when she fell.

Not even bothering to dust herself, Honoka ran towards her friend and joyfully hopped repeatedly as she cheered while taking a hold of her hands. "You're a Heaven's Blessing, Kotori-chan! You're a Heaven's Blessing!"

"A Heaven's Blessing...?" Both Umi and Kotori repeated in question.

"A Heaven's Blessing is called to a magician when they are granted by the gods the power to control a single Cosmical Element!" Honoka explained in her most gleeful way. "The Cosmical Elements are Reality, Power, Mind, Soul, Time, and Space! And I think you got the Mind element!"

"In other words, Kotori-chan has discovered a new magic, right?" Umi clarified. "And that's the Mind magic!"

"Yes! Yes!" The ginger-head nodded multiple times. "Be sure to practice using it, Kotori-chan! I think it's gonna be helpful!"

However, instead of being as overjoyed as Honoka, Kotori was visibly melancholic. She was thinking of something else. Someone else...

"Is there a problem, Kotori-chan?" The bluenette asked out of concern. "Is something bothering you?"

"It's nothing, really," she assured as she realized she killed the mood. "I...I just wish Eli-chan was here to see this..."

"Oh... Yeah... You're right..." Honoka replied as she looked at the ground in sorrow.

"Eli-chan..." Umi whispered in a sad tone.

"But she'll be back. Right? She promised!" The ginger-head suddenly exclaimed, her whole aura seemingly filled with positivity and energy in an instant. "So don't be sad! If anything, you should be happy that she's not here! If she was here, she would've saved me instead and you wouldn't have found out about your Heaven's Blessing powers immediately!"

"Mmph!" The gray-haired girl nodded as her eyes lit up. It seems that her friend's positivity really does spread easily like a disease.

"She will be back!" The bluenette cried, clenching her fists, full of hope that their friend will come back.

"We'll be waiting, Eli-chan! That's our promise to you!" Honoka cheered, pumping her fists like how she would normally do.

"We'll be waiting!"

* * *

 **EXTRAS**

A room full of floating fabrics, papers, and many other sewing materials was all her mother saw as she entered her daughter's room. They all seem to be moving and working on their own. It was like how one would see a factory full of dressmakers working on multiple sets of things.

Except, in this case, there are no actual people working and it's just the materials doing it themselves.

"Hello, Okaa-san! Honoka-chan was right! Having Mind magic is helpful!"


	3. LL Noire

**LL Noire**

 **with You Watanabe and Chika Takami (Third Year Middle School)**

You: *twirls nonexistent mustache* Hmm, it would appear that the witness in question is lying, Detective Takami.

Chika: *gasps* How could you tell, Inspector Watanabe?!

You: *puts hand under chin* As you can see, Detective Takami, the way the witness twitched her finger at the mention of the victim gives it all away. That could very mean that she did know the victim!

Chika: You noticed that, Inspector Watanabe?!

You: You still have a lot to learn, my friend. You see, you must pay attention to every reaction a person might give away when you tell them certain information.

Chika: I see! Right on, Inspector Watanabe! What else did your keen eyes notice?

You: Hmm... *looks at the 'witness' closely* I see... Upon closer inspection, we can notice that the witness has painted nails.

Chika: *tilts head* How does that connect to anything, Inspector Watanabe?

You: *wags finger* Let me finish, Detective Takami. Yes, she does have painted nails; however, it seems that most of them scraped in a horrible way. It was as if it was removed rather hastily. Or other than removed, is it not possible that her hands were just used a bit too much that her painted nails started to scrape away on their own?

Chika: *gasps* In other words...!

You: Yes! I'm suggesting the possibility that she may have been involve with the crime! It's simple. The body had to be moved away and discarded as fast as possible. So she did the task quickly without any more caution!

Chika: *stifles a laugh* Y-You're the greatest, Inspector Watanabe! *starts laughing out loud*

You: *suppressing herself* Focus, Detective Takami! Pfft! Haha—I mean! W-we must always be serious during investigation!

Chika: *giggling uncontrollably* You're absolutely correct, Inspector Watana—hahaha! *now laughing out loud uncontrollably*

You: *joins in* *puts arm around Chika and continues laughing*

*after a good minute of laughing*

You: *sighs in satisfaction* That was fun, Detective Takami.

Chika: *giggles* Yup! I agree, Inspector Watanabe! I'm so glad you bought these detective uniforms.

You: I'm so glad I bought them while they're still on sale!

Mito: *clears throat* Are you two done?

You and Chika: Waaaah! Mito-nee!

Mito: *scowling to no end*

You: Y-yeah! We're done Mito-nee!

Chika: *awkward laugh* Yeah, yeah! We're done!

Mito: Great! Because I feel really uncomfortable being closely examined by two middle school girls. Now if you'll excuse me, I still have some work to do in the inn. *leaves them*

You: So, Chika-chan? What do you say? Wanna try it out?

Chika: *tilts head* What do you mean, You-chan?

You: I mean, why not just become detective? You and I? Maybe in the future?

Chika: H-huh? W-well... I dunno... I mean, I'm not really that smart or logical like you...

You: Oh... That's too bad... *smiles softly* Well, I'm not gonna force you to do things you don't want to do!

Chika: Thanks for understanding, You-chan. And I'm sorry I'm so indecisive...

You: It's okay! Don't worry about it! We'll find it someday. Plus, I think I already have an idea on what we should do in the very late future. *smirks*

Chika: Huh? What do you mean by that? Very late in the future?

You: *nods enthusiastically* Mhm! Like twenty years maybe! *kisses her cheeks*

Chika: *eyes widen, blushes furiously* Wah?! You-chan?!

You: *winks* You'll find out soon~!

Chika: *awestruck*


	4. A New Creation

**A New Creation**

 **with Mari Ohara, Kanan Matsuura, and Dia Kurosawa**

An evening at the Ohara Residence. A pretty normal one, to day the least. Not much commotion was happening at the moment - a very rare occurence in the usually packed schedule of the Ohara Family. Well, it seems that way and, really, it is a normal evening. However, if one were to enter a private room of the Ohara's sole daughter, they would soon notice how completely unordinary this whole day truly was.

Two girls around the age of 16, sat on a chair, quietly waiting for their other friend to finish her work. However, the raven-haired one seemed to have already ran out of patience for a long while now.

DIA: (scowling, clears throat) (in a sweet voice) Mari-san.

MARI: (stops for a while and turns around) YE~S?

DIA: (eye twitching, struggling to maintain calm) Y-you do know that you could have just finished that first before you call us, am I wrong?

MARI: (thinking) Hmmm, YES! Buuut, I wanted some company AND I wanted you two to see the genious at work! (smirking)

DIA: (growls)

KANAN: (triying to calm her down, sweat rolling down her forehead) Now, now, Dia... Calm down.

MARI: (giggling) Yeah, calm down, Dia. I'm done anyway.

DIA: (whispering) At last...

The young blonde then approached her friends and showed them what looked like a computer chip.

MARI: SHINY! I finally did it! I finished my very own creation!

As expected, both of her friends looked puzzled.

KANAN: (tilting her head) What...exactly did you make? It looks like just a bigger version of a computer chip to me.

DIA: (furious) Do you wish to imply that you made us wait here for hours for a computer chip?!

MARI: OF COURSE!

And that's when Dia lost it and tried to pounce at Mari. Luckily, Kanan quickky grabbed her and, in turn, stopped what could have been a tragic disaster.

DIA: (trying to escape) Let go of me this instant! I want to give Mari a piece of my mind! And I meant that literally!

KANAN: (is not even trying) Dia, you're incredibly and surprisingly weak. (chuckling)

MARI: (laughing at her friends' quirks) Calm down, calm down. Of course, I didn't make you two wait for nothing. I just wanted to inform you that I finally found a way to do it! (smiling sincerely)

The two then suddenly calmed down, as if they were about to hear a very important information. The whole room suddenly became serious.

KANAN: You...found a way to contain her?

MARI: (shaking her head, visibly upset) No, not that... However, I'm really close there! Because I've made an A.I.!

DIA: You made an A.I.? What for?

MARI: Well, right now, I'm planning on installing it to all our technology here in the house and any of our other structures. That'll be her purpose for the meantime.

KANAN: You called it a her? Lemme guess, you named her Shiny, didn't you? (smirking)

MARI: Nope!

With that, the whole world was shocked!

KANAN: (takes hold of Mari's shoulders and shakes her) Who are you and what have you done to Mari?!

DIA: (snarkily) Look who's losing herself now...

MARI: (giggling) Relax, I'm still me. Well...at themoment, at least. But anyway! I decided to name her Mira.

DIA: Wait... Mira? Why Mira? How did you settle upon giving the A.I. her name?

MARI: I've been thinking... And well, I figured that she isn't so bad after all. She's helped me in numerous occasions anyway, so this is the least I could to repay her. Plus, it's JUST Mira; it's also an acronym. Stands for Massively-Intelligent Response Assistant.

The blonde then inserted the chip in her high-tech computer and a simple interface and speech signal appeared at its screen.

M.I.R.A.: Hello, creator Mari. I am M.I.R.A., a newly-programmed artifical intelligence with the main purpose of assisting the Ohara family. How may I help you tonight?

KANAN: Wow, she learns fast. Quite an impressive creation you got here!

M.I.R.A.: Why thank you, unknown individual!

KANAN: I'm Kanan Matsuura, but you can call me Kanan. Nice to meet you!

M.I.R.A.: Profiles system updated. Nice to meet you too, Ms. Kanan.

DIA: Mari-san, you do remember that I am a Mind magician, correct?

MARI: Yes. Why did you ask?

DIA: Well, I could have just made you an artificial intelligence in just the snap of my fingers. I have already mastered quite a lot of my Mind magic! I am ready to try it again.

MARI: (dejected) I... No. I don't want to make the same mistake again. After what happened to your... (covers mouth, tries to suppress her cry) I'm sorry!

KANAN: (puts a hand on Dia's shoulder) Dia... Please don't bring that up now... Mari still hasn't forgotten about it.

DIA: B-but she is fine now! And I have already forgiven you! We can do this once more! This time we will succeed!

Unable to stop herself anymore, the young blonde excused herself for a moment. Her loud cries from outside pierced through the walls of the room.

KANAN: Dia, please... Stop it for now. We'll wait for a better time.

DIA: I'm... I'm sorry... (looks down, downcast)

M.I.R.A.: Why is the creator crying? Is something the matter?

KANAN: You wouldn't understand right now, MIRA... Why don't you ask your creator later, okay?

M.I.R.A.: I will be sure to do so.

KANAN: Well then, we'll be leaving now. I think everyone needs a good rest for the night. Take good care of Mari, MIRA!

M.I.R.A.: I will do my Rubesty!

DIA: (gasps, eyes widen) She...

KANAN: See? Mari's still troubled about it... Let's give her some more time, alright?

DIA: Understood...


	5. Nostalgic Scent

**Nostalgic Scent**

 **with Honoka Kosaka and Kotori Minami**

It was a warm, cozy night at the Kosaka residence. The sky was illuminated by the moon and the stars, mixed in with the colorful lights from the city of Tokyo itself. An annual festival was occurring from the heart of the city towards Otonokizaka and spread across many districts even at the Kosaka family's district. Its wonderfully loud and beautifully delivered musicals and songs echoed throughout the city and, possibly, even beyond.

However, the founder of the festival itself, Honoka Kosaka, seems to be not heading the festival. What's stranger is the she appears to not even bother attending either. Of course, this prompted her to force her younger sister to conduct the event in her place, much to the latter's dismay. But the clever gingerhead had succesfully convinced Yukiho with a bit of persistence and a sprinkle of Alisa Ayase.

Contrary to what many would believe though, the gingerhead chose not to attend NOT because she was feeling lazy. Instead, she felt that she hasn't been any helpful at their family shop, so she insisted her parents to join in with the festive fun and take care of the business by herself. And as a matter fact, she already conducted the day festivals anyway. She wanted to relax tonight, she thought.

And so lo and behold, the gingerhead sat behind their counters and awaited for potential customers. It hasn't been a minute since her childhood friend, Umi Sonoda, appeared at the shop to buy her usual, weekly stacks of boxes of manjuu. Her friend insisted that she was still on a diet, but the way she nearly drooled at the sight of the manjuu said otherwise.

The gingerhead had promply teased her friend that she was gaining some weight despite noticing that her body hasn't changed a bit ever since. It seems that this still got her friend to become very conscious about her self though.

Not too long after, other members of μ's started visting the shop and buying their manjuu. Some asked why she didn't attend in the night festivals, but most of them stayed for a bit to catch up with Honoka. It has been a long while since some of them met.

At the moment, the store was empty. Only the music and sounds from the ongoing parade outside was the only thing Honoka could hear. It wasn't so boring even she was not doing particularly anything at the moment. But that maybe helped with the number of cheerful songs she could here from just outside the door.

The gingerhead only sat at the chair behind the counters, humming the tune of the festival's international song, SUNNY DAY SOMG, every now and then, while playing a game on her phone. She generally still looked pretty similar to her teenage self, but she did notice that her hair has started to become lighter. She has abandoned her trademark side-tail, now in favor of just letting her hair down. The reason behind such a decision was something she chose not disclose to anyone.

Unbeknownst to her, a familiar individual has entered the shop. An individual she hasn't seen for a really long time. An individual that went and stayed in a foreign country to resume her studies and share her love for fashion. A girl—no, a woman that has once made the gingerhead's heart melt and mind crazy. A childhood friend who still tied her ash-blonde hair in a looping side-tail, her soft, droopy, amber eyes softening even more at the sight of her childhood friend.

The gingerhead then started to smell a familiar scent as the individual entered. At first, she was doubting herseld. It couldn't be, right? That familiar, sweet scent of vanilla-scented perfume can't belong to her, right? She figured the person just happened to wear the same perfume as her. I mean, she couldn't be back, right?

Once she has convinced herself enough, the gingerhead continued to play her game. She was so close! She tried to ignore the sweet scent. And yet, that familiar scent still sent chills down her spine. The familiarity...brought back all of those memories. Memories she's trying her hardest to forget... But she can't be her! She had to focus and finish her game, and then she will attend to the customer.

The ash-blonde stood there waiting for the gingerhead to look up. It seems that the other was too busy though, so she cleared her throat to catch her attention.

Without looking up, Honoka responded in slight surprise, "Oh! Sorry! Just lemme finish this one and I'll get to you! Oh, and, uh, welcome to Homura, home for Tokyo's most delicious manjuu! How may I help you?" The gingerhead still played with her phone as she said her usual lines to the customers. She never looked up, worrying that it might break her combo, thus losing another chance to get a full combo on the song she's been trying for so long.

"You can start by looking up, Honoka-chan," the ash-blonde giggled as she observed the gingerhead's tensed game-face.

A gasp! And a combo broken. Honoka sat straight from her chair and her eyes gaped as if she's seen a ghost. "K-Kotori-chan! Y-you're back!"

Kotori smiled softly. "I am, Honoka-chan." She then opened her arms, asking for a hug. It has been too long...

Honoka hesitated, but she eventually gave her childhood friend a hug anyway. She had to push those memories back. Memories that came flooding back to her. "Wh-why are you back...?"

Honoka forced her tears back. All of these... The hug, the scent. It was all too similar. Too similar to that very event that broke her.

As the ash-blonde pulled away, Honoka noticed that Kotori wiped away tears that escaped her eyes. "What do you mean..? I wanted to see you again. It's been so long, Honoka-chan."

"I...supposed it has," she nodded. Though feeling awkward, she forced a smile. She was happy that her friend came back, but...seeing her again made her remember those heartbreaking memories.

"Aren't you happy to see Kotori, Honoka-chan?" The ash-blonde asked with a smile, almost with desperation. She knew, deep down, what she did to Honoka. What horrible decision she made before she flew to Paris, France and stayed there. She knew how broken her friend still was.

"I-I... Of course I am, Kotori-chan," the gingerhead replied with hesitation. She smiled widely, though she could tell that it was starting to falter. But still, she continued this facade.

At this moment, Kotori's own smiled turned upside-down. Her eyes teared up, sobs escaped her mouth, and there she suddenly cried. This was supposed to be a happy moment... Why was she crying? Why did she still feel guilty? Why did it still hurt...?

Right... This was all her fault. She had to make a choice. And she chose to study and stay broad.

She didn't choose Honoka...

"I'm so, so sorry, Honoka-chan...! I-I know I shouldn't have returned...a-and expected that...e-everything was still good between us... B-but I miss you, Honoka-chan! I-I know what I did was wrong...b-but I still love you!"

But to her surprise, Honoka pulled her into a warm embrace. The gingerhead let her tears escape as she remembered everything. Everything that happened during that fateful night... The night Kotori broke up with her...

Kotori wholeheartedly returned the embrace as she continued to shed tears. Her loud sobs slowly turning to low hiccups and sniffs. The gingerhead shushed her friend as she lulled her lightly. Little by little, their cries faded until they were completeky gone.

The gingerhead then pulled away, arms still wrapped around Kotori. She stared at the woman's eyes, those amber orbs that mesmerized her even to this day. "Don't cry now, Kotori-chan... You're here now and that's what matters most. I...still love you too."

"H-Honoka-chan..."

"Shh..." Honoka shushed, putting a finger to Kotori's lips. That same hand then lingered softly to her cheek and then to her chin. "I remember this smell all too well, Kotori-chan. This scent was something that always said 'Kotori' to me. It was the very sweet scent I smelled when we got together. The same scent I smelled during our dates. And...the very same sweet scent that I smelled...when we broke up. But despite all of that... I'll still say what I always said whenever I'm with you...

...You smell really nice, Kotori-chan. It makes me fall in love with you more and more whenever I smell it. I love you, Kotori-chan. Please, never leave me again..."


	6. The Best Reward

****The Best Reward****

 ** **with Dia Kurosawa, Ruby Kurosawa, and Hanamaru Kunikida****

Midnight. It was a cold midnight and yet Dia was still wide awake. Her eyes were very heavy, but she just can't sleep. Not with a certain brunette was using her as a hug pillow, that is. Oh, how she wish she could just escape the short girl's grasp...but the sight and closeness was too good. She really wanted this moment to last.

It was a fortunate and smart idea that she decided to leave the windows open. Not only did the cool breeze conditioned the room, but the light of the full moon illuminated the room enough for her to see the beautiful brunette's sleeping face. The brunette would sometimes smile or mumble something/food 'zura'. If lucky, she would even say Dia's name, or 'Dia-chan' as she said just a while ago. Well, she mumbled all of Aqours' name, but her own name only mattered to her!

Plus, the fact that Hanamaru was dreaming about her was enough to make Dia's heart skip a beat. The raven-head sighed in satisfaction as she whispered an expression of gratitude to her sister, Ruby. After all, Ruby was the one who suggest or, really, insisted that Hanamaru should sleep with her Onee-chan for once. Her sister __did__ know of her infatuation towards Hanamaru anyway.

And praise Kami-sama and all of the gods, she did NOT expect for the outcome to be this! And, oh boy, was she massively thankful! However, there was one thing that Dia hasn't found the courage to do yet:

Returning the embrace.

Does she even dare? Would she risk her own pride and dignity just so she can hug Hanamaru back? Would she risk being embarrassed later in the morning just so she could touch Hanamaru more? This was her only chance! She had to decide now! After all, morning was just a few hours away from midnight.

But then it hit her! Hanamaru was the one who hugged her first, so this predicament was not her fault! Of course, Dia wouldn't admit that Hanamaru was at fault too because she loved her that much, but she had to take advantage of that fact for now! So if she hugs her back, she can just lie and tell her that she thought she was hugging Ruby instead. And then everything should be back to normal from there, right?

And so the raven-head hugged Hanamaru back, and, dare I say, she even pulled her close so she could feel her warmth more.

"Is this the reward I receive for working diligently in college and never neglecting my studies? If so... This is the best weekend ever...!"

"Dia-chan..."

And Dia had to really hold back her squeal after that...

* * *

 ** **EXTRAS****

Ruby: *secretly recording her sister and Hanamaru* (I'm so sorry, Onee-chan... But this was one of the first plans that worked for this pairing!)

Dia: *slowly hugs Hanamaru back and pulls her closer*

Ruby: *suppressing squeal* (Pigi! I think it worked a bit too well!)

The following morning...

Dia and Ruby: *very drowsy*

Hanamaru: *curious and worried* Did you two get your sleep, zura? You two seem like you both stayed overnight, zura...

Dia: *perks up suddenly* I thank the both of you for giving me the best reward for my hard work! Especially you, Maru-chan!

Hanamaru: Zura? Wait... Maru-chan...? Since when did you call me that, zura?

Ruby: You're the best, Hanamaru-chan! Thank you for making my sister happy!

Hanamaru: I'm so confused right now, zura... But at least I got to see what the Kurosawa sisters are like when they're sleepy. *giggles at the sisters*


End file.
